The arena had not yet recovered from the shock of the previous battle.
Javier's final slash had demonstrated a level of destructive precision that even the other candidates could not ignore. However, the battle had not been a one-sided display of superiority.
The final resistance of KASHMIR had forced Javier to pour an enormous amount of power into his ultimate attack.
When the duel ended, Javier remained standing only for a brief moment.
His hand still held the hilt of his sword.
His expression remained calm.
But his body betrayed the truth.
His legs trembled.
His breathing became uneven.
The immense exhaustion caused by the battle made it difficult for him even to maintain his posture.
Before he could collapse, the judge stepped forward.
With a simple movement of his hand, a gentle wave of cosmic energy flowed through Javier's body.
The fatigue disappeared.
His injuries healed.
His depleted energy returned to its peak.
Only then did the ancient judge turn his attention toward the next two competitors.
"Fourth duel."
His voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Sarah, Candidate of the Void Destruction Body."
"Daniel, Candidate of the Space-Time Body."
The two entered the battlefield.
Unlike the previous clashes filled with overwhelming physical power, this battle was one of concepts.
One controlled the force capable of reducing everything into nothing.
The other manipulated the very framework upon which existence operated.
The moment the battle began, Sarah made the first move.
She understood Daniel's abilities.
His attacks could bypass conventional limitations, ignoring ordinary concepts of distance, space, time, and even perception.
Allowing him to dictate the pace of the battle would be fatal.
Dark destructive energy erupted around her.
A spherical domain formed, surrounding her entire body.
It was a region where pure annihilation ruled.
Any interference entering it would be destroyed before reaching her.
More importantly, the domain itself was filled with destruction, making Daniel's usual space-time distortions unable to influence it directly.
Daniel's expression became more serious.
His most efficient methods had been neutralized.
So, he adapted.
Rather than relying on invisible distortions of space-time, he began launching direct attacks.
Visible attacks.
Spatial blades, compressed distortions, and waves of force crossed the battlefield one after another.
Sarah moved like a phantom.
She twisted her body.
She stepped aside.
She allowed her destructive aura to consume some attacks while avoiding others.
For a time, neither side could gain an advantage.
The spectators watched carefully.
This was not a battle of overwhelming superiority.
It was a battle of understanding.
A battle where the first mistake could determine the outcome.
Daniel continued observing.
He did not grow impatient.
Every movement Sarah made.
Every adjustment of her defensive domain.
Every fluctuation in her destructive energy.
He memorized all of them.
Eventually—
he found the answer.
Her defense was powerful, but it was not perfect.
Maintaining complete destructive coverage over every possible angle required immense concentration.
There were moments.
Tiny moments.
When certain regions became slightly weaker.
And Daniel waited for them.
Suddenly, he attacked.
Not once.
Not twice.
Multiple strikes came from different blind spots around Sarah.
She reacted immediately.
Her destructive energy moved to intercept them.
The attacks were blocked.
But only barely.
The rapid succession forced her to redistribute her power repeatedly.
For a brief instant—
a gap appeared.
Daniel's eyes sharpened.
He had been waiting for that exact moment.
Space and time wrapped around his body.
His existence became surrounded by a layer of distorted reality.
He crossed through the opening in her defenses and launched a fatal attack toward an angle where her destructive energy had not yet reached.
The attack was impossibly fast.
Even the spectators understood that a direct hit would end the battle.
But Sarah was not an ordinary opponent.
Her eyes showed no fear.
At the last possible moment, she concentrated an enormous amount of destructive power directly at the point of contact.
The explosion that followed shook the entire arena.
Her destruction consumed Daniel's space-time defenses.
The protective layer surrounding him shattered.
The unstable space beyond his protection swallowed him, causing catastrophic damage to his body.
But in that same instant—
Daniel's attack reached its target.
Sarah's body was struck by the full force of the attack.
The destructive energy surrounding her could not fully compensate for the exposed angle.
She was destroyed as well.
Silence fell.
The arena was empty.
Both candidates had reached the point of mutual destruction.
Before the situation could develop further, the judge intervened.
With a single gesture, the unstable space stabilized.
The shattered remains of both fighters were restored.
Their bodies returned.
Their energies recovered.
As if the devastating clash had never occurred.
The judge looked at both candidates and spoke:
"This duel ends in a draw."
The audience accepted the decision.
It was the official result.
A perfect tie.
Yet among the strongest observers, a deeper conclusion was reached.
If this had been a real battle without the protection of the arena, Daniel's condition would have been worse.
The unstable space could have continued tearing him apart until death.
However, the attack he landed on Sarah had carried enough space-time authority to completely kill her.
From that perspective, Daniel had achieved a slightly more favorable outcome.
Sarah understood this truth as well.
She lowered her head slightly.
"I lost."
The words surprised many.
The judge had declared a draw, yet she accepted defeat.
She continued:
"My lack of experience in real combat became obvious. I relied too much on the destructive nature of my power without fully understanding every possibility it offered."
Her gaze turned toward Daniel.
"I still have a long way to go before mastering the Void Destruction Physique."
Daniel remained silent for a moment.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"You are too harsh on yourself."
He looked at his own hands.
"Before this battle, I also did not understand the Space-Time Body enough."
His eyes became thoughtful.
"The pressure you put on me forced me to discover new applications of my ability."
He gave Sarah a respectful nod.
"So I should be the one thanking you."
For a moment, the battlefield became quiet.
There was no arrogance.
No hatred.
Only two extraordinary candidates acknowledging that the greatest enemies were often the greatest teachers.
And with the fourth duel concluded, the eyes of the remaining candidates turned toward the final battle of the first round of friendly challenges.
The confrontation between the last two candidates was about to begin.